Ice Cold in Alex

As Axis forces close in, Captain Anson's Royal Army Service Corps unit is ordered to withdraw to Alexandria. Anson, MSM Tom Pugh, and two nurses become separated from the rest of the group aboard an Austin K2/K Katy, leaving them to press on through the desert in hopes of reaching British lines. The journey kicks off under tense skies as they abandon Tobruk.

In the desert, they encounter Captain van der Poel, an Afrikaner South African officer who claims to be travelling with them. He reveals two bottles of gin from his pack and persuades Anson to trust him and continue toward safety in Alexandria. The group, desperate for every possible ally, decides to rely on him despite growing suspicions.

The party faces a deadly minefield that blocks their path to safety. They must thread carefully through the danger, relying on maps and luck as the desert pressure tightens. The threat of ambush or a wrong step hangs over them as they push forward.

Van der Poel assists in changing a broken suspension spring, a crucial mechanical fix that keeps Katy moving. The mechanical challenge tests the group’s endurance and cements the captain’s indispensable role in their odds of survival. Tension rises as time and distance wear on them.

They press on through the difficult terrain of the Qattara Depression, navigating dunes and heat as they cling to the route toward safety. The landscape becomes an adversary, threatening to strip them of their remaining supplies and resolve. The group's morale fluctuates as they survive another day.

A German motorised unit engages them, and Sister Denise Norton is fatally wounded by gunfire. Anson blames himself for the loss and vows to persevere, using the incident to steel his resolve. The encounter confirms the presence of danger from the enemy as they near the coast.

Following Norton's death, Anson vows not to drink until he can have an ice-cold lager in Alexandria. The pledge reflects his guilt and his determination to stay clear-headed for the remainder of the journey. The others are also reminded of the dwindling hope as they press on.

Tom Pugh grows suspicious of van der Poel's true loyalties when the man shows unfamiliar knowledge of the South African Army's tea-brewing technique. He spies on van der Poel secretly, hoping to uncover inconsistencies. The tension between trust and suspicion grows as the group relies on him to reach safety.

At night, the group lights the ambulance headlights and van der Poel stumbles into quicksand, submerging his pack in a panic. Anson and Murdoch rescue him and discover the radio in the pack. Although the discovery confirms the potential espionage, they decide not to confront him in the moment, fearing for their escape.

Realizing van der Poel's strength is essential to dragging Katy up a sand dune, the group chooses not to confront him or expose him as a spy. They continue toward Alexandria while weighing the risk of losing their only means of transport. The tension between trust and fear remains unresolved.

Upon reaching Allied lines in Alexandria, Anson delivers everyone's papers except van der Poel's to the Military Police checkpoint. He reports that 'van der Poel' is a lost German soldier who surrendered to them under parole. The MPs permit a farewell drink with their captive before taking him into custody as a prisoner of war.

In a farewell scene at a bar, Anson drinks a cold beer with relish, grateful to van der Poel for saving their lives. A Corps of Military Police officer arrives to arrest van der Poel, and Anson's plea that his real name be kept is ignored; van der Poel admits to being a German engineer officer. Pugh tears off van der Poel's South African dog tags as they part, and the group reflects that they were all against the desert, the greater enemy.